Many people dream of rising to fame for fortune, but achieving it doesn’t always guarantee leaving financial worries behind.
Indeed, Marvel fans were recently shocked when Kid Loki actor Jack Veal begged for help on social media, revealing he was living in an “unsafe” trailer with “smashed windows”, despite being a “famous actor” who has worked with the likes of Tom Hiddleston and Emma Stone.
The 17-year-old, best known for his role in the popular Disney+ series Loki, describes himself as “desperate” in the heartbreaking clip, sharing that he’s previously been forced to sleep on the streets.
And Jack isn’t the only star who has fallen on hard times, despite enjoying an enviable career. Here, the Mirror takes a look at seemingly successful celebs who’ve navigated money woes, from bankruptcy to homelessness….
Jack Veal
Addressing followers in a shocking video, Jack said: “Hi. I’m a famous actor, I’m 17, and I’m homeless. I haven’t mentioned much about what’s been going on in my life, but I think it’s time to reveal the truth.” He continued: “I didn’t have a very good upbringing. I struggle with mental health. I have autism, ADHD, and am being screened for bipolar and psychosis. I can’t stay at my grandparents’ because my granddad is terminally unwell. I have nowhere else to go, and I need help. Social services refuse to help me despite what I have told them. I am desperate.”
Panning the camera to offer a glimpse of his grim living situation, the actor, who has also appeared in hit Netflix show The End of the F****** World, continued: “I’ve been sleeping in the streets. I am currently sleeping in a trailer that has smashed-in windows, is unsafe, is two hours away from my work, which means I struggle to get to work every day.
“It’s difficult. Life is hard. At the moment, I have nothing else. I am on my knees begging for you guys to just share this, do something, spread the message of how the government are treating kids.”
He then pleaded: “I need help. Please share, please share it with whoever you can. You don’t have to pay me anything, I don’t need anything. I just need you to make this go as viral as possible. I’ll continue to put some more stuff out, but, please, I need help.”
A few hours later, Jack updated fans, confirming social services had been in touch. He confirmed: “I just got a call from social services saying they want a meeting with me tomorrow to potentially get me into foster care and support and accommodations.
“I don’t know what you guys have done, but it’s gotten out there, and it’s really, really helped me, and they’re taking action now. They’re actually doing something so God bless you all.”
Signing off, Jack concluded: “I’ll let you know how the meeting goes, and there’s no promises, but this is the first time they’ve considered me for accommodation, so thank you, thank you so much. I love you all.”
Jenni Lee
Once one of the most famous porn stars on the planet, Jenni Lee – real name Stephanie Sadorra, now lives as a ‘mole person’ in the dark, dingy tunnels beneath Las Vegas, where those who call the underground labyrinth home are at constant risk of flooding.
Jenni, originally from Clarksville, Tennessee, rose to fame as a model as a glam 19-year-old, beginning her career in adverts before turning to adult movies at the age of 21. In August 2019, a crew of Dutch documentary makers encountered Jenni by chance while shooting in the 200 mile tunnels.
At this point, it had been three years since Jenni’s final adult film credit, she was still ranked 119th on Pornhub’s list of best porn actresses, having clocked up tens of thousands of subscribers and more than 130 million viewers. Now 42, Jenni lives without heat, light or running water in rat and scorpion-infested tunnels some believe to be ‘haunted’. However, she can still see positives in her precarious living situation.
Jenni told the film-makers: “I actually got very famous. Maybe a little too famous. I should still be in the top 100 on some list somewhere. I used to be so hot.”
Focusing on some of the advantages of her tunnel life, Jenni shared: “It’s not as difficult as you might think, everybody’s really respectful. Everybody’s good to each other, which I don’t think you find much. I’m happy, I have everything I need here. People are more accepting [underground].”
Shaun Williamson
In January 2021, actor Shaun Williamson, best known for playing Barry in EastEnders, explained that he was taking part in reality TV shows to “pay the mortgage,” admitting that times were tough. The 59-year-old, who also starred in Ricky Gervais’ Extras, told the Mirror:“My career goal has been to earn enough money to survive basically. I’m a divorcee, so I’ve got a mortgage on a second house, so my career plan is just to have fun, enjoy myself, and survive financially. So Celebs on the Farm was great to come along in what was a very tough year.”
Maidstone-born Shaun, who has unfortunately seen a number of his projects cancelled, added: “I’m not a star, I’m not in a position to guide my career. I’m one of these people who waits for the phone to go and see where it takes me… I just want the phone to keep ringing.”
Simon Cowell
As inconceivable as it may be now, music mogul Simon Cowell was once so broke that he had to move back in with his mum and dad at the age of 30, with just £5 to his name. During a June appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast, The X Factor star maker, estimated to be worth a staggering £496 million as of 2023, as reported by Hello!, spoke of the sudden, sickening collapse of his fledgling label, Fanfare Records in 1989 – a setback that left him virtually penniless.
Simon, 65, recalled: “I thought everything was just going to be wonderful, so I bought a house, I bought a Porsche of course, I had a gold credit card. So I’m living it up, and when it all came crashing down, I owed the bank nearly £500,000.”
Remembering moving back to his parents without enough cash for taxi fare, Simon continued: “I remember thinking it’s literally all the money I’ve got left in the world, and I’m not sure that five quid’s going to cover the taxi ride home.”
Thankfully, Simon managed to scramble out of the sticky situation by convincing a banker to lend him the money required to repay his debt. A lawyer pal also helped him out with a job at BMG Records, which he used as a launchpad for establishing his own record label.
Tina Malone
Best known for playing Mimi Maguire in Shameless, Tina Malone has long been a household name. However, her life took a steep nosedive in December 2017 after she was arrested for cocaine possession. Just two months later, Tina, 61, was threatened with prison time after sharing a photograph of James Bulger murderer Jon Venables on Facebook – in defiance of a court order.
After the drug arrest, Tina lost her panto wages and also lost out on other jobs including what would have been a lucrative film contract in LA. Then, in March 2019, she was handed an eight-month suspended sentence and a £10,000 fine for being in contempt of court over the photo of Venables.
Forced to sell her clothes and jewellery to feed her desperate family, the actress hit rock bottom at Christmastime 2018, when her priest paid her a visit with an envelope of cash. Speaking with the Mirror in August 2019, by which point she’d found work on shows such as Clink and Celebs on the Farm, Tina remembered: “I felt like a lowlife. I borrowed money from everyone I knew. I cleaned my mother out. I ended up having two parties at home where I sold my designer clothes and jewellery to pay the rent.
“It was the worst time of my life. My eldest girl, Danielle, was so disgusted she didn’t speak to me for 14 months. After the Venables thing, when we got the call from the solicitor telling us I could face six months in prison it was five days before Christmas. My priest came round and put an envelope on my table with money in. That’s how bad it was.”
Mike Tyson
Heavyweight champ Mike Tyson filed for bankruptcy in 2003, with reported debts of $23 million (£18.3 million) at the time of filing. In an honest speech made after his retirement, the boxer confessed: “I realised, I don’t think I have it anymore. I’ve got the ability to stay in shape, but I don’t got the fighting guts anymore. I’m just fighting to take care of my bills basically.
“I don’t have the stomach for this no more. I’m more conscious of my children. I don’t have that ferocity, I’m not that animal anymore. Most likely I’m not gonna fight again. I’m not gonna disrespect the sport by losing to these calibre of fighters.”
In recent years shower, Tyson has managed to claw back some of his once vast fortune, through a mix of public appearances, business ventures and endorsements. Back in November, Celebrity Net Worth estimated his net worth to be $20 million (£15.7 million).
Nicholas Cage
In a 2023 interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Hollywood star Nicholas Cage opened up about finding himself $6 million (£4.7 million) in debt after sinking a large amount of his earnings into property on real estate, shortly before the market crash.
The Academy Award winner addressed the issue by moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, where taxes are low, while throwing himself into making multiple movies a year. Nicholas, 60, shared: “Work was always my guardian angel. It may not have been blue-chip, but it was still work. Even if the movie ultimately is crummy … I’m not phoning it in. I care, every time.”
Although he came perilously close to bankruptcy, Nicholas’s dedicated work ethic ultimately paid off, and he was able to scrape himself out of a financial black hole.
Loni Willison
Once a model married to a Baywatch star, Loni Willison is now homeless and has sadly been spotted in recent years searching for food and dragging her belongings along in a shopping trolley.
Speaking with X17 Online back in May 2023, Loni blamed her 2014 split from Baywatch actor Jeremy Jackson for hr downturn in fortune. She also explained that she was currently in “a lot of pain”, with her stomach hurting “really bad”.
Loni, who is believed to have been homeless since around 2018, also claimed she “can’t live inside anywhere” as she can’t be exposed to electricity. She said: “I think because [I pick] up on the electricity, I also pick up on other things, like certain chemicals or batteries, or fuses, like wire, different types of metals. So I think my body even filters that kind of stuff.”
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